Kriti Mehrotra
Directed by Jody McVeigh-Schultz, Amazon Prime’s ‘Cocaine Quarterback: Signal-Caller for the Cartel’ is a documentary series chronicling the tale of athlete turned kingpin Owen Hanson. The Los Angeles native is actually a former University of Southern California volleyball player and football champion, who ended up building a narcotics empire through the Mexican cartel. However, after 3 years of complete luxury from 2012 to 2015, his business crumbled when an associate named Robert “RJ” Cipriani turned into an FBI informant following a deal gone wrong.
RJ Cipriani Has Always Viewed Himself as a High-Stakes Gambler and Philanthropist
As a proud native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Robert J. Cipriani (or simply RJ Cipriani) reportedly grew up in a blue-collar household with his mother being his only source of comfort. According to his own accounts, she is the one who taught him the importance of helping others and giving back, even when you have little to share, because kindness is all that truly matters. She also instilled in him a belief system he has always stood by, so despite the fact that he grew up to be a professional high-stakes gambler, he did so with dignity and with the intention of charity.
As per an interview RJ gave back in 2010, he was merely 16 when he first started gambling and quickly realized that it could be a very lucrative path at casinos as well as racetracks, if done right. Thus, he chose this activity as a professional career for himself, only to soon establish the confident, mysterious, protective, yet philanthropic persona/pseudonym of Robin Hood 702 too. After all, the blackjack specialist was determined to use his proceeds to benefit those in need, taking money from rich casinos or bookies by winning and then distributing it to the less fortunate.
For this, RJ even set up a website called Robin Hood 702 (702 is the area code of Las Vegas, Nevada), where he asked people to submit their stories as to why he should financially help them. He made it clear his aid would not go beyond $25,000 to $50,000, which he actually followed through with. His work piqued the interest of several news channels over the years, but while he allowed them to interview him as well as film his process, he didn’t reveal his true identity. Instead, he preferred to shield his face with a cap, sunglasses, a mask, or the occasional fake beard.
RJ Cipriani Evolved From a Gambler to an FBI Informant in the Early 2010s
RJ never wanted to be famous, but he did want to do famous things, so hiding under the moniker of Robin Hood 702, a man who did both sinful and honorable things, seemed like the best path. It’s how he managed to deal with his unorthodox philanthropist image and his alleged friendships with celebrities, becoming international news via Fox News, New York Daily News, Daily Mail, Telegraph, and more. He was actually quoted in a Vanity Fair report about Tiger Woods’ extramarital affairs in 2010, as well as known for brushing shoulders with different artists in Las Vegas.
However, RJ’s entire world turned upside down in 2011 when he came across an American businessman named Junior DeLuca in Sydney, Australia, who claimed to want to help his cause. The latter seemed really dedicated at the time, so the gambler reportedly didn’t hesitate when he was handed $1.5 million to play with under the condition he could keep/donate the proceeds. Their second deal, though, went completely wrong as RJ lost the entirety of the $2.5 million given to him, only to then be threatened by the businessman and realize it was illegal money. He reportedly didn’t stand for money laundering or the alleged shakedown he was being subjected to, so he soon figured out a way to leave the foreign city and country to return home.
That’s when RJ and his family started being sent death threats, including flowers to his wife with chilling messages and a DVD containing footage of two men being beheaded cartel style. He was undeniably worried about his loved ones’ safety, yet the breaking point for him was when he was sent a picture of his mother’s gravestone having been desecrated with red paint. In the image, there was also a man standing beside the massive grave, wearing a Mexican wrestling mask and holding a shovel, who the gambler later learned had been photoshopped in. So, he went to the FBI with all the information he had gradually gathered, including the identity of Junior DeLuca as Owen Hanson, resulting in his ultimate arrest on September 9, 2015.
RJ Cipriani Has Evolved From a Gambler to a Producer
When RJ went to the FBI, he signed a proffer (an immunity-like deal) that limited how his statements could be used against him moving forward criminally or in court. Nevertheless, since it wasn’t full immunity, it appears as if he eventually faced trouble in terms of his career, as he was barred from every casino in the world. This verdict stemmed from his alleged involvement in Owen’s drug syndicate as a gambler and money launderer, wheather unwitting or not. RJ tried to fight this decision, asserting he was being robbed of his livelihood, his ability to provide for his family, as well as his philanthropic venture, but to no avail. He even stated his work had helped him hand out over $1 million to those in need, but again, nothing came of it.
Since then, from what we can tell, it seems like RJ has primarily been focusing on spending quality time with loved ones. It includes going out with friends, taking up new hobbies with his wife (a Brazilian actress-model named Greice Santo), and traveling the world. Apart from trips across the US, most recently, in 2023, he and Greice took their time to explore Italy. On a professional level, it appears as if RJ is now thriving as a producer since he already has credits in originals such as ‘Wild Card’ (2015), ‘Money Machine’ (2020), and ‘Serenata De Las Estrellas’ (2023). Moreover, as per records, he is set to serve as a producer on the upcoming limited series ‘Jackpot,’ which is actually based on his true story as a gambler turned FBI informant. However, it’s imperative to note that the Los Angeles resident still does identify as a gambler, philonthrospist, and activist.
Read More: Scott Scurlock: How Did Hollywood Die?
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